Emirates Oil Minister Out

REUTERS

Published: November 21, 1990

NICOSIA, Cyprus, Nov. 20—
Sheik Mani Said al-Otaiba, the senior OPEC oil minister, lost his Cabinet post today in the Government of the United Arab Emirates after nearly 20 years.

He was the fifth oil minister of an OPEC nation to be replaced in less than a year, having been preceded by ministers from Kuwait, Iraq, Nigeria and Libya.

But officials and oil officals said they expected no changes in the Emirates' oil policy under the new minister, Youssef Omeir bin Youssef, a 32-year-old American-educated executive at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.

The dismissal was reported by the official Emirates press agency..

Sheik Oteiba, a billionaire and the longest-serving OPEC oil minister, was the first and only oil minister for the United Arab Emirates, a leading oil exporter, since its independence from Britain in 1971.

No official reason was give for Sheik Oteiba's removal, which was announced by President Sheik Zaid bin Sultan al-Nahayan as part of a reshuffle of the 23-member Cabinet.

Sheik Oteiba, who is 45 years old, lost much of his influence when the Abu Dhabi Petroleum Department, which he headed for 20 years, was abolished in 1988. It was replaced with a Supreme Petroleum Council, in which he was one of several members.

The United Arab Emirates is considered one of the moderates in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, favoring increased output instead of sharply higher oil prices. The nation produces some 2.25 million barrels of oil daily, about 10 percent of the group's output.